Folding device



H. A. JENSEN FOLDING DEVICE Sept. 9, 1969 4 SheetsSheet 1 Filed Nov. 28, 1966 INVENTOR p 9, 1969 H. A. JENSEN 3,465,492

FOLDING DEVICE Filed Nov. 28, 1966 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR I I HANS. A. JENSEN ATT'Y H. A. JENSEN FOLDING DEVICE Sept. 9, 1969 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Nov. 28, 1966 INVENTOR HANS A. JENSEN j/M H. A. JENSEN FOLDING DEVICE Sept. 9, 1969 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Nov. 28, 1966 INVENTOR HANS A. JENSEN M M United States Patent 3,465,492 FOLDING DEVICE Hans A. Jensen, Madison, Wis., assignor to Usear Mayer & Co., Inc., Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Filed Nov. 28, 1966, Ser. No. 597,332 Int. Cl. B65b 9/02, 63/04; B65h 45/18 US. Cl. 53-120 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Apparatus is provided for folding and packaging sheetlike articles comprising means to form a center fold and a plurality of accordion folds parallel thereto transversely to the plane of the fiat sheet-like article, means to form a central fold transversely to the plane of the accordionfolded article, and means to package the folded article between two webs of packaging material.

This invention relates to the handling of sheet-like materials and is more particularly concerned with improvements in a machine for folding an object which is in the form of a sheet so as to reduce the size thereof and adapt the same for insertion or enclosure in a package.

It is a general object of the invention to provide an improved machine for folding sheet materials or sheetlike objects first in one direction and then in another direction, so that the same may be more readily packaged or inserted in a package where the space available to accommodate the folded sheet or object is substantially smaller than the dimensions thereof in unfolded condition.

It is a more particular object of the invention to provide an improved device for forming a series of successive folds in a sheet-like object so as to effect a substantial reduction in the width and length of the sheet or object and enable the folded sheet or object to be readily inserted in a package or enclosed in an envelope or wrapper where it will occupy a relatively small space.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sheet folding apparatus which comprises a folding table having a series of parallel pockets opening on the face of the table and a reciprocating head on which there is mounted a plurality of relatively thin, parallel, fold forming plates, with the plates in aligned relation with the pockets in the table so that on reciprocation of the head into engagement with a sheet-like object placed over the openings in the pockets, the object will be folded into the pockets in accordion fashion.

A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for forming a sheet or a sheet-like object into a plurality of accordion-type folds and thereafter transversely folding the same so as to reduce the dimensions thereof in the direction of the folds and facilitate insertion into a package or a container.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a machine for folding and packaging sheets or sheet-like material which comprises a horizontally disposed folding table having means forming a plurality of upwardly opening folding pockets of rectangular cross-section which are separated by relatively thin plate members disposed in equally spaced, parallel planes with the pockets opening on the face of the folding table, a folding head mounted for vertical reciprocation above the folding table and having a plurality of thin plate-like fold forming members mounted thereon which include sheet engaging bottom edges in laterally spaced and upwardly offset relation so as to align with the openings in the folding pockets for insertion into the pockets when the head is moved toward the folding table, certain of the fold forming members being slidably mounted on the head for movement in parallel planes and being resiliently urged in the direction of the pockets, the edges of the fold forming members which confront the pocket openings being normally spaced relative to each other so that when the head is advanced toward the pockets a single plate edge will engage the sheet initially and fold a portion thereof into a pocket after which adjoining plate edges will successively engage portions of the sheet and fold the same into the pockets so as to form successive adjoining folds, with the table having a folding slot extending transversely of the pockets and a folding blade operative in the transverse folding slot to transversely fold the accordion folded sheet, and a package forming mechanism adjacent the discharge opening of the transverse folding slot for enclosing the folded sheet.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from a consideration of the sheet handling machine which is shown by way of illustration in the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation with portions broken away of a machine for folding and packaging sheets or sheet-like materials which incorporates therein the principal features of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation, with portions broken away, of the machine shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a partial side elevation, with portions broken away, showing the folding head in the position following the completion of the first fold;

FIGURE 4 is a partial side elevation similar to FIG- URE 3 with portions broken away and with the folding head in a position following the completion of the succeeding pair of folds;

FIGURE 5 is a partal side elevation similar to FIG- URES 3 and 4 showing the folding head in a position in which the final folds are partially completed;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary elevational view similar to FIGURES 3 to 5 showing the completion of the transverse fold with the accordion folding head withdrawn;

FIGURE 7 is a partial front view taken on the line 7--7 of FIGURE 5, to an enlarged scale and with portions thereof being broken away;

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary view taken on the line 8-8 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 9 is a perspective view, partly schematic, illustrating the sheet upon completion of the initial accordion folds;

FIGURE 10 is a perspective View, partly schematic, showing the sheet when the folds are completed; and

FIGURE 11 is a plan view of the folded sheet enclosed in a wrapper.

The machine 10, which is illustrated in the drawings, is particularly designed for folding and wrapping sheets of material or sheet-like objects wherein the sheets or objects are folded first in one direction and then in another so as to reduce the longitudinal and transverse dimensions thereof and to enable the sheets or objects, in folded condition, to be readily inserted in a package or enclosed in a relatively small envelope by an associated packaging mechanism.

Referring to FIGURES l and 2 of the drawings, the machine comprises an upright supporting frame 11 having a base portion 12, the top of which forms a table 13, having a horizontally disposed top surface for supporting successive sheets or sheet-like objects. Above the table 13 there is mounted a top frame structure 14 which supports a reciprocating folding head 15. A package forming assembly 16 is also mounted on the forward portion of the frame 11 together with a supply magazine 17 for the sheets or other work pieces to be folded and an associated work feeding or transfer device 18.

The supporting base 12 is provided with a series of elongate pockets 20 of rectangular cross-section, which are in side-by-side arrangement. The pockets 20 are of identical size and are formed by securing in a recess 21 in the table 13, a plurality of vertically disposed, parallel plates 22 which are held in spaced relation by bottom forming spacer members 23 so that the pockets 20 have a uniform depth and are of uniform cross-sectional dimension. The table 13 is provided with a folding slot 25 of rectangular cross-section which is disposed vertically and extends transversely of the longitudinal dimension of the pockets 2t) and approximately in the center of the same in the lengthwise direction thereof. The slot 25 extends through the plates 22 and across the recess 21 above the spacers 23.

The folding head 15 extends in a vertical plane above the table 13 and is carried on a double throw piston 26 which extends from the opposite ends of a fluid cylinder 27, the latter being mounted on vertically spaced bracket forming members 28 and 30 which extend forwardly of a back plate 31 on the upper portion 14 of the supporting frame 11. The head 15 comprises horizontally disposed, vertically spaced top and bottom bracket members 31 and 32. The lower bracket 32 carries a series of vertically disposed fold forming plates comprising a center plate 33 and two adjoining plates 34 and 34' which are movably mounted in the bracket 32 together with two outside plates 35 and 35 which are fixed in the bracket 32, all of the plates 33, 34, 34', 35, 35' being spaced equidistant and in parallel relation with the spacing determined by the spacing of the fold forming pockets 20 in the table 13 so that the bottommost edges of the plates are aligned with the top openings or entrance slots into the pockets 20 and in corresponding vertical planes for insertion into the pockets 20 when the head 15 is lowered toward the table 13. The bracket 32 is slotted at 36, 37 and 37 to slidingly mount the center plate 33 and the two adjoining plates 34 and 34 for vertical movement relative to the bracket 32. The center plate 33 and the two adjoining plates 34 and 34' are slotted as indicated at 38 and 39 in FIGURES 1 and 7 for co-operation with guide pins 40 which extend through the bottom bracket 32 so as to hold the plates for movement in a vertical path. The center plate 33 has an upwardly extending spring receiving arm 41 on which there is mounted a compression spring 42 which is seated at its upper end against the bottom face of the top bracket 31 and at its lower end against the top edge of the center plate 33. The bottom edge of the plate 33 extends below the corresponding bottom edges of the adjoining plates 34 and 34' a distance determined by the width of fold desired. In like manner, the adjoining plates 34 and 34 have upwardly extending pairs of narrow arm members 43 and 44 which receive compression springs 45 and 46 with the latter seated at their upper ends against the bottom face of the top bracket 31 and at their lower ends against abutment forming wider portions 47 and 48 on the arms 43 and 44. The upper bracket 31 is provided with guide slots 50, 51 and 52 for accommodating the arms 41, 43 and 44 and for guiding the same in a vertical path.

A fold forming plate 53 is mounted for reciprocating movement in the transverse fold slot 25. The plate 53 is secured on the end of a piston 54 extending from the fluid cylinder 55. The operating cylinder 55 is supported in fixed relation on the rearwardly extending bracket 4 forming arm 56 at the top of the base 12. The fold forming plate 53 is reciprocated by cylinder 55 so as to place a transverse fold, indicated at TF (FIGURE 10), in the sheet S after the latter has been accordion folded in the pockets 20 so that it is in the condition shown in FIG- URE 9. The folding plate 23 has a path of movement sufficient to deliver the finally folded sheet, in the condition shown in FIGURE 10, out of the forward end of the slot 45 to the wrapper forming apparatus 16.

The supply magazine 17 for the sheets or other work pieces is arranged along the side of the base frame 12 and includes a horizontally disposed stack supporting plate 58 mounted on the upper end of a piston 60 which extends upwardly from a fluid cylinder 61 supported in fixed relation at the bottom of the stack 17. The sheet feeding device 18 is mounted above the open top of the magazine 17 and is in the form of an arm having downwardly facing suction cups 62 for engaging the topmost sheet on a supply stack supported on the plate 58. The feeding arm 18 is mounted on the end of a piston 63 extending from a horizontally disposed fluid cylinder 64 which is pivotally mounted at 65 on the bracket arm 66 with the forward end thereof supported in a hanger bracket 67 on the end of a piston 68 which depends from a fluid cylinder 70 pivoted at 71 on the vertically disposed bracket plate 72. The bracket arm 66 and the plate 72 constitute portions of the top frame structure 14. The piston 70 is operated to intermittently raise and lower the sheet feeding device 18 so as to pick up the topmost work piece from the supply stack and deliver the same to fold forming position over the pockets 20 on the table 13 as indicated in FIGURE 2.

The package forming apparatus 16, which is illustrated, comprises spindle supports 73 and 73' mounted on and extending in laterally spaced relation from the support plate 72 for receiving supply rolls R and R of packaging film or sheet material F and F. The film webs F and F are guided over a pair of guide rolls 75 and 75 mounted on brackets 76 and 76 at the front of the machine and arranged to guide the two films toward face-to-face contact between reciprocating sealing heads 77 and 77 mounted on a package forming device 78 which is carried on the upper end of a piston 80 extending upwardly from the fluid operating cylinder 81, the latter being mounted on the base frame 12. The sealing heads 77 and 77' have confronting face portions adapted to form seals in a rectangular pattern about three sides when brought together from opposite sides of the webs F and F, as indicated in the finished package illustrated in FIGURE 11. The seal forming and package severing heads 77 and 77' are mounted on the inner ends of pistons 82 and 82 which extend from fluid operating cylinders 83 and 83 mounted on the upstanding legs of a U-shaped bracket 84 forming the carriage for the device 78. Co-operating knife edges indicated at 85 are arranged at the bottom of the seal forming heads 77 and 77' which sever successive packages simultaneously with the forming of the seals in the succeeding packages. The device 78 is adapted to be reciprocated while gripping the film webs F and F so as to feed the film material simultaneously with the forming of the packages. The uppermost limit of the path of movement of the device 78 is below the discharge end of the folding slot 25 so that a finally folded sheet or object (FIGURE 10) is delivered by the folding plate 53 between the film webs F and F and above the top cross seal formed by the sealing heads 77 and 77 in the preceding package.

In using the illustrated apparatus, sheets or sheet-like work pieces are delivered to the table 13 by the sheet feeding mechanism 18 in timed relation to the reciprocation of the folding head 15. Upon downward movement of the folding head 15 the sheets are engaged first by the center plate 33 which forms the first fold in the center pocket 20, the width of the fold being limited by the depth of the pocket. Continued descent of the folding head 15 brings the two adjoining plates 34 and 34' into engagement with the sheet material and folds the same into the two adjoining pockets 20. As the head continues its downward movement, spring 42 is compressed, which holds the center plate 33 in the associated pocket while permitting sliding movement of the plate 33 in the brackets 31 and 32. When the two side folds are completed by the plates 34 and 34, the sheet is engaged by the plates 35 and 35 which are fixed on the bottom bracket 32 and the springs 45 and 46 are compressed as the plates 34 and 34' slide upwardly on the brackets 31 and 32. The folding head 15 is then retracted upwardly until all the folding plates clear the pockets 20. The transverse fold forming plate 53 is then operated to place a transverse fold in the accordion folded sheet and to deliver the completely folded sheet out of the discharge end of the transverse slot where it is received between the webs of film material F and F immediately above a transverse seal. The package forming apparatus 16 operates to enclose the folded sheet in the envelope which, as shown in FIGURE 11, has three sides thereof closed by heat seals HS. The apparatus will fold work pieces which are in the form of a single thickness film or sheet or any relatively flat, sheet-like object, for example, envelopes or the like, which may comprise more than one ply of material but which are of sheet-like form and capable of being folded. The package forming apparatus 16 may be replaced by other package forming apparatus or preformed envelopes, or the like, may be fed from a supply to a position for stufiing therein the folded objects.

While particular materials and specific details of construction are referred to in describing the machine which is illustrated, it will be understood that other materials and equivalent structural details may be resorted to within the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. A machine for folding and packaging sheet-like material comprising a horizontally disposed folding table having means forming a plurality of upwardly opening folding pockets of rectangular cross section and separated by relatively thin plate members in spaced, parallel planes which pockets open on the face of said folding table and are of uniform depth, a folding head mounted for vertical reciprocation above the folding table and having a plurality of thin plate-like fold forming members mounted thereon which have sheet engaging bottom edges arranged in spaced relation so as to align with the pocket openings in the table and adapted to be inserted in said pockets when the head is moved predetermined distance toward the table, certain of said fold forming members being slidably mounted on said head for movement in parallel planes and resiliently urged in the direction of said pockets, said fold forming members having edges which confront the pocket openings and are normally spaced relative to each other in the direction of movement thereof so that when the head is advanced toward the pockets a single plate edge will engage the sheet initially and move into a pocket to form the first fold and thereafter adjoining plate edges will successively engage the sheet and move into the pockets so as to form successive adjoining folds, said table having a fold forming slot extending transversely of the pockets, a folding blade operative in said folding slot to form a transverse fold in a sheet which has been folded into said pockets, and package forming means adjacent the discharge opening of said transverse folding slot for enclosing the folded sheet.

2. A machine for folding objects of sheet-like form comprising a folding table having a plurality of folding pockets extending normal to and opening on the face of the folding table over which a sheet-like object to be folded is adapted to be positioned, a folding head mounted for reciprocation toward and from the table face and a plurality of plate-like, fold forming, object engaging members mounted on said folding head in parallel, sideby-side relation and spaced so as to move into and out of folding pockets in said table when the folding head is reciprocated, said fold forming members being positioned so that edge portions thereof will engage a sheetlike object which is positioned over the openings into said pockets as the head is moved toward the pockets whereby the fold forming members will carry portions of said object into the pockets and successive folds will be formed therein, said pockets being of uniform depth with the object engaging edges of said fold forming members being parallel and spaced relative to adjacent fold forming members in the direction of movement thereof a distance corresponding to the width of the material between the folds desired.

3. A machine as recited in claim 2 and certain of said fold forming members being slidably mounted on said folding head, said folding head including spaced bracket members with guideway forming slots and said slidably mounted fold forming members having portions slidably received in said slots with associated spring members mounted thereon which extend between said spaced bracket members and urge the fold forming members in the direction of movement of said folding head.

4. A machine for folding sheet-like material comprising a folding table having a plurality of parallel recesses forming folding pockets in side-by-side relation and opening on the top face of the folding table over which a sheet to be folded is adapted to be positioned, a folding head mounted for reciprocation toward and from the pocket openings and a plurality of fold forming members mounted on said folding head in parallel, side-by-side relation and having edge portions aligned with the pocket openings so as to move into and out of the pockets when the folding head is reciprocated, said fold forming members being positioned on said folding head with sheet engaging bottom edge portions spaced in the direction of movement of said folding head and said folding head being reciprocated so that successive edge portions of said fold forming members will engage a sheet placed over the pocket openings as the head is moved in the direction toward the pockets and the fold forming members move into the pockets whereby a single fold will be formed in the sheet initially and adjoining folds will be formed in succession thereafter.

5. A machine as recited in claim 4, wherein said pocket'forrning recesses in said folding table are formed by a plurality of spaced, parallel, plate-like members having the uppermost edges thereof substantially in the plane of the top face of said folding table.

6. A machine as recited in claim 4, and means forming a magazine adjacent said folding table for receiving a supply of sheets to be folded, and having a device for transferring successive sheets from the magazine to predetermined position on the folding table.

7. A machine as recited in claim 6, and said sheet transferring device comprising an arm member having sheet engaging suction means thereon and power means for moving said arm member in a four motion path so as to pick up a sheet from said magazine and deposit the sheet on said folding table in position for engagement by the fold forming members upon reciprocation of the folding head.

8. A machine as recited in claim 4, wherein said fold forming members comprise relatively thin, plate-like members slidably mounted on said folding head with the bottom edges thereof in stepped relation and adapted to move upwardly on said head when lowered into engagement with said folding table.

9. A machine as recited in claim 1, and said package forming means comprising supporting members for webs of package forming material, a sealing, severing and feeding head reciprocably mounted for movement in a vertical direction parallel with the movement of said folding head and having oppositely disposed, reciprocably mounted, seal forming members, guide members for bringing the webs into face-to-face relation in a path between said seal forming members, power means for 7 8 reciprocating said seal forming members so as to en- 3,131,519 5/1964 Webster 53-117 gage the webs and form seals therein about a folded 3,228,170 1/1966 Eisenstadt 53-182 sheet delivered between the webs by said folding blade, FOREIGN PATENTS and power means operative to reciprocate said sealing,

severing and feeding head in timed relation to the move- 5 697,011 9/1953 Great Britain ment of said seal forming members so as to advance successive packages formed thereby as the webs are THERONE CONDQN P i E i gripped between said seal forming members. E F DESMOND AssistantEXaminer References Cited 10 US. Cl. XRI UNITED STATES PATENTS 53 1 ;27 4 2,794,482 6/1957 Ganz 27067 

